If you ask most people about augmented reality, their experience is probably more along the lines of Pokemon Go than it is corporate training. But the combination of digital information and the real world isn’t just for mobile entertainment, but a real solution for learning at work. Before it’s dismissed as a development still far off the future, you should know that some industries have been all too happy to adopt augmented reality as a tool for better learning. And, when augmented reality naturally segues into virtual reality applications, these are the industries that will already have a leg up on the buy-in for new technology.

It’s a scenario we’re all too familiar with: You get a new toy–a TV; a bookshelf; a new phone–and the second it’s out of the box, you want it to be fully functional. But we’re also all too familiar with the woes of something new, and from assembly frustration to a steep learning curve, you might be stuck reading manuals and using trial and error to learn how to use or put together something new. Not a great user experience.

Once upon a time, some manager decided that the best way to let employees know how they’re doing was to summon them once a year for a nerve-wracking reckoning with the bosses called an “annual performance review”. During that meeting, they’d discuss what the employee was doing wrong, the things he was getting right, and then say goodbye for another year until it was time to do it all over again.

This was the norm for decades in HR, even though the annual performance review has always been considered malign by manager and employee alike. For managers, it meant a huge block of time spent evaluating, ranking, and meeting with employees. For employees, it meant ambiguous rankings that hurt morale more than it boosts.

They say that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, but in business, it can feel like what’s good for the goose… is selfishly just good for the goose. That’s because many organizations have the same overarching theme: whatever is done for employees is expressly for the benefit that it offers the company. While it’s true that this sensibility can give employees some amazing benefits, the idea that any work perk is only in place to help the organization’s bottom line doesn’t always reinforce a positive company culture. Instead, it sends the message that the company comes first and any benefit to the employee should circle back to the organization.

Picture this: A pilot is in the cockpit of a fighter jet, pressing buttons and switching levers. As the propellers fire up, there’s an audible whir and you can hear the increase of power. The jet blasts down a runway and takes off into the sky at record speed. This is neuromarketing stimulation.

Gets your heart pumping and your palms sweaty, doesn’t it? Now, picture the scenario again, only this time, each frame is juxtaposed against the driver of a car having the same experience. Does it change your opinion on the power and speed of that car?

By now you’ve probably heard about the bomb scare that paralyzed JFK airport in July. I was among the evacuated travelers, and I have a tale of confused crowds, misaligned authorities, and a disorganized mass evacuation that didn’t have to happen. After this first-hand experience, it led us at ELM to wonder what went wrong and more importantly, how we would train airport staff and authorities to better manage a similar event in the future.

We can definitely appreciate the benefit of early adoption. It’s early adopters that drive the embrace of new ideas in spaces that have remained stagnant for years–even decades. But is all early adoption good early adoption? Fintech was one of the first industries to jump on the eLearning bandwagon, but unfortunately, didn’t necessarily adopt all of the better parts of eLearning. Unfortunately, as a result of the way eLearning was adopted, the industries reputation took some serious damage; damage that we’re still undoing as an eLearning company today.

At eLearning Mind, we believe in better ideas created around even better solutions. It’s part of our culture. Through the years, we’ve morphed from a small eLearning development team into a full-service creative eLearning agency . Today, we’re a 30+ team of intellectually creative individuals who are eager to solve your learning and development challenges. We’re ready to put our minds to work for you.

Newsletter

First NameLast NameEmailCompany

Offices

New York

203 Lafayette, Suite C306
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212.590.0171

San Diego

1500 State St.
Suite 220
San Diego, CA 92101

Detroit

26333 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 102
St. Clair Shores, MI 48081

Project Planner

First NameLast NameEmailCompanyPhoneHow can we help?
Newsletter Subscribe: